MonacoSteve wrote:Who would even have thought at the beginning that this game would came so far, and never having lost but rather even constantly gained spirit and entertainment?

I and I have also written it several times, when I joined this forum. This is not, and it has never been a game or a simulator like the other. This is The Game, it is the Simulator par exellence, 'cause of its adventurous nature and the utmost quality of the game itself, thanks to its developers.

MonacoSteve wrote:Who would even have thought at the beginning that this game would came so far, and never having lost but rather even constantly gained spirit and entertainment?

I and I have also written it several times, when I joined this forum.....

Yes, but I joined this forum 9 years earlier already . In the beginning, the bright future of tH was far less obvious, although many of us "veterans" already recognized the immense potential of this project. But only after the first company who distributed tH went bankrupt a year later, and only after Avalanche took over, rescued tH, and founded EW to continue the program, things took the solid upwards trajectory from which we now all profit since many years.

im closing in on 9 years soon aswell.its crazy to think about it.playing the game almost 9 years daily is quite a feat.most games are only around for short periods of time yet this is still growing. 2018 is looking good and lots more content to come

I haven't been around the whole 9 years, not even a small fraction of that. I was aware of the game a long time ago (I remember there was a time they offered permanent memberships, for one large lump sum, how long ago was that?) and just never bought a membership since I was a college student with little disposable income and I knew what the addiction would eventually turn into. That said, the stories of those who have been here for the entire ride are quite interesting to hear! It sounds like things were an uphill battle for a while with the game and EW saved it from dying off like many other games tend to do. For that, I am eternally grateful. I may be a little late to the party, but I'm glad there's still an amazing game and an even more amazing community to be a part of here. I have seen nothing but improvements and additions since my arrival in late 2016 (with a handful of distasteful bugs along the way of course, but they haven't stopped me yet!) and it's sounding like EW is headed into 2018 with equally as strong aspirations.

If 2018 is anything like 2017, I'll be impressed. They did a lot to add to the "depth" of the game in the past year (trophy lodges, bait/lodge management, loadouts, new species on old maps) and I'm hoping we get to see just a bit more of that this year. A handful of the older species in the game could use some love, just like the bears got. Turkeys and pigs could definitely look better, adding fur to foxes and coyotes might look nice, and the older deer species would look great with some new animations. I'm trusting that whatever EW has on the drawing board, it'll be good. Bethany definitely has some big shoes to fill this year... so best of luck to her and the team!

I've been playing this wonderful game for 9 years. At first, the game was in doubt of lastingvery long. When Avalanche took the reins, everything started improving. It's hard to believehow much better our game has become,.....and no end in sight of improving.

I want to thank everyone who's supported this game. I had to retire when I was 55 years old, (I'm 81 now), because of Arthritis of my spine. Up until that time I spent many, many hours either in the woods, field, or streams. (Deer, Elk, upland game, duck and goose hunting, and fishing for about every fish in the Northwestern part of the USA. (I live in the state of Oregon)I had to quit most of these things because of Arthritis in my spine, and I had to retire from working.

I've played many hunting and fishing games in the past, but THE HUNTER, isby far,...the best ever.

100% agree with all that has been said, regarding theHunter- I started playin' it when there were only four reserves. It has growin' in leaps and bounds since and I'm sure will continue to grow- one way or another. Long live theHunter and the awesome community we have all become! Together we have seen a lot of good, bad and ugly over the years. But the good outweighs the not so good and the not so pretty. Thank you EW for such an awesome game! Peace.

As another that has been here from the beginning, and someone who has played these hunting games since the late 90's, my observations have shone me that even though they are niche games, they do have a dedicated following that will stay until the game is replaced by something better. Now most of these games were single purchase and were replaced yearly, and sometimes even semi yearly for some titles. Each rendition would have a few more bells and whistles, and engine and graphic upgrades every few years. So for the hunter to have lasted as long as it has, with out the engine upgrades, and still be the best there is out there to offer says a lot.Even with all the ups and downs, it is still the best, Good Job EW!

Wow, it also tells a lot alone already to see so many of us "oldies" still being here with unchanged enthusiasm about this game!

Now, John ...

Cutch wrote:...I've played many hunting and fishing games in the past, but THE HUNTER, is by far,...the best ever.

...this is a somewhat offtopic remark now, but if you want to check a fishing game that is really worth the term "simulator", and that is fully matching (if not exceeding) the quality of tH (content, graphics, gameplay, fun ...), try "Russian Fishing 4". I can truly recommend it to everyone who also wants to "hunt" the underwater world from time to time - a perfect complement to tHC. Like I have never seen a better hunting game than tH (since years), I have also never experienced a better fishing sim than RF4.